Now Open: A Specialty Coffee Roaster from New Zealand

Keeping it simple with coffee and bagels in the inner west.

Photography: Parker Blain

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Photography: Parker Blain

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Photography: Parker Blain

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Published on 04 September 2017

by Rose Montgomery

New Zealand speciality coffee roaster, Atomic, has opened its first Australian store, one street back from King Street in Newtown. The Auckland-based roaster has been a New Zealand favourite since it was established in 1992. With blends and single origins on the espresso machine; filter coffee, and tasty bagels from Sydney locals Smoking Gun Bagels, this little spot is getting a local following.

“There’s a lot of competition in the inner west area but as long as you’re serving great coffee you can win people over,” says the cafe’s manager Elouise del Rosario. ‘There’s such a great sense of community around here in Newtown. We already have our regular customers coming in as part of their daily routine.”

The cute space was once a local corner store, built in 1925 and family-owned since then. Sydney-based designers Guru Projects created the cafe’s fit-out, opening up the front brick façade for it to spill out onto the street. The pared back, industrial aesthetic of the space matches the cafe’s manifesto of keeping things simple. Enjoy your coffee at the counter or atop a crate in the sun.

The short menu includes bagels with topping combinations that change seasonally. “The salmon with herbed cream cheese and rocket is a real crowd pleaser,” says Rosario. Get in early for a toasted cinnamon-and-raisin bagel, they sell out fast. If you’re taking your coffee to go, Atomic offers a 20c discount for those bringing their own cups. The beans are also available to purchase by the bag, and can be ground for you in-store.